Well, I’m back in the country and starting to get back into the swing of the “real” world. I’m back at my usual haunts, the Temescal Café, having some coffee and working online. So, now it’s time for the final wind down from World Cup. The deep, meaningful, poignant piece on what it all means. Unfortunately, I’m not real sure of that myself. Being back home and slipping back into working and all that stuff seems somehow anti-climactic for what just happened. World Cup has been something that I have been training for and striving towards for the past six years or so. The fact that it has come and gone and life just falls back into the previous status quo seems somehow asynchronous. It feels like there should be some sort of transition or change, not just a return to normal. I guess that’s something to think about. It’s also hard not knowing what will happen next for the National Team. We played so well over the past two games and I just want to keep going with that momentum. I want there to be another World Cup sooner than four years so that we can really put everything that started to come together into play now. If we had played as well the entire tournament as we played against Australia and Scotland, who knows what we would have done.
Last night I went to practice with Berkeley and was two minds about it. The practice was very contact oriented and I was not really ready to be hitting again, yet, but the pace was slower than at the International level so it all evened out. It’s interesting to come back and be kicking right into the Club season because I spent a lot of time during the last bit of my training for World Cup talking myself through the hardest workouts by promising myself a break afterwards. That doesn’t seem to be an option, but I need to really find some new motivation to get back into the hard training. Hopefully after a few more recovery days my body will be ready to go back to the grind.
So, I guess that’s it. World Cup happened and it was amazing. It was the best rugby I’ve played in my life, both individually, as well as team rugby. I hope that the inspiration of playing that much beautiful rugby will carry us through the club season. Either way… it was one of the best experiences in my life. Now I have to reassess and set some new goals and aspirations to keep my energies focused and on track. On a side note, I’m going to try and be better about keeping this blog slightly more up to date than just writing after each rugby tour… but we’ll see how that goes.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
World Cup 17: The last day
So, the time is 4:59am and we're up loading the vans with our luggage. We'll be leaving for the airport in about a half hour. So I'll try and get a little in, but I'll definitely have to save the last post with the impact of this trip till I have more time.
The jersey ceremony on Saturday night was great. Anne McClain sent us the flag from her first combat mission in Iraq and that was the flag we used duringthe presentation. Anne was originally on the team a few years back, but then got deployed to Iraq and couldn't be here or come support. It was really awesome to feel that support from across the globe. After the jersey ceremony we had a short presentation to do gifts and such then it was crazy packing time and more rampant trading. We were all trying to get everything ready to go and get our stuff that has reproduced back into it's respective containers.
Yesterday just flew by. It was breakfast one moment and then we were on the pitch playing. It's was a beautiful game. We just worked so well together and the final score of 24-0 reflected that. Our scrums were on, our backs were on, everything just... I can't even think of a word for how much fun that game was.
Then we showered (there was no way in hell I was getting in the ce bath) and had our post match function with Scotland. Then we went down to watch the rest of the matches. France beat Canada and New Zealand beat England in a fiercly fought battle. I got to just hang out with my mom and John and the rest of my team. We also got to watch Dude and Jen get married during the day. They decided to do it in Canada because gay marriage is official and legal there. It was great to get to be there with them for that.
After the games it was the blitzkrieg of showering, trying to cram a few more things in bags, and then off to the official post tournament dinner. It was a zoo of activity with everyone wandering around trying to see what they could swap for. My best acqusition was a training jersey from france that I got for my technical tee. They also announced a World 15 and Jen was selected as the number 5. I am really proud of her (and Phaidra who got 6 and Ellie who got 11, too).
After the function we came back to the hotel and got changed into our going out attire and went over to the Lion's Head to party it up. We were there with South Africa, Australia, Ireland, and England. It was a lot of fun and then we wandered off to another place called Overtime for a bit before I threw in the towel and came back to get an hour and a half of sleep.
Now I'm up and packed and ready to begin the marathon travel day home. I'll write one more World CUp post when I get back and add pictures to this post, but for now... Goodbye Edmonton!
The jersey ceremony on Saturday night was great. Anne McClain sent us the flag from her first combat mission in Iraq and that was the flag we used duringthe presentation. Anne was originally on the team a few years back, but then got deployed to Iraq and couldn't be here or come support. It was really awesome to feel that support from across the globe. After the jersey ceremony we had a short presentation to do gifts and such then it was crazy packing time and more rampant trading. We were all trying to get everything ready to go and get our stuff that has reproduced back into it's respective containers.
Yesterday just flew by. It was breakfast one moment and then we were on the pitch playing. It's was a beautiful game. We just worked so well together and the final score of 24-0 reflected that. Our scrums were on, our backs were on, everything just... I can't even think of a word for how much fun that game was.
Then we showered (there was no way in hell I was getting in the ce bath) and had our post match function with Scotland. Then we went down to watch the rest of the matches. France beat Canada and New Zealand beat England in a fiercly fought battle. I got to just hang out with my mom and John and the rest of my team. We also got to watch Dude and Jen get married during the day. They decided to do it in Canada because gay marriage is official and legal there. It was great to get to be there with them for that.
After the games it was the blitzkrieg of showering, trying to cram a few more things in bags, and then off to the official post tournament dinner. It was a zoo of activity with everyone wandering around trying to see what they could swap for. My best acqusition was a training jersey from france that I got for my technical tee. They also announced a World 15 and Jen was selected as the number 5. I am really proud of her (and Phaidra who got 6 and Ellie who got 11, too).
After the function we came back to the hotel and got changed into our going out attire and went over to the Lion's Head to party it up. We were there with South Africa, Australia, Ireland, and England. It was a lot of fun and then we wandered off to another place called Overtime for a bit before I threw in the towel and came back to get an hour and a half of sleep.
Now I'm up and packed and ready to begin the marathon travel day home. I'll write one more World CUp post when I get back and add pictures to this post, but for now... Goodbye Edmonton!
Saturday, September 16, 2006
World Cup 16: It's starting to wind down
So, we only have a few days left of this WOrld Cup. It's really surreal when I think about the fact that many of us have been training and preparing for this event for years and years and it's finally here and almost gone. It leaves a little sense of 'what now?'.
So the past couple of days have been a lot of fun and really have embodied what World Cup is all about. On Thursday I spent the day out shopping for food with Miller and KTP for our BBQ with South Africa, which was one of the highlights of the trip. We went over to the Edmonton Rocker's clubhouse and had a big BBQ. It started out a little like a junior high dance with both teams standing off to one side talking to each other, but that changed after a bit. We broke the ice initially with 'The Bottle Game', where one person is a base and the other person tries to crawl up there back and place a bottle out as far as they can without touching the ground. It's usually a drinking game, but we did it with water bottles and sober.
Then we had food, which always brings rugby players together. But the real bonding came when we played a rousing rendition of 'Chicken on the Henhouse', where everyone had to partner with someone not from their team. I won't even try and describe how you play the game, but for those of you who know what it is you know how much fun we had! After that there was a dance-off, where we went position by position with one USA dancer going head-to-head with a South African dancer. In the end we were all cracking up and the final tally was a tie (or at least I say it was, and since I was the MC keeping score what I say goes). The evening wound down with the South African girls singing and drumming for us and then with us doing our rhythm performace for them. It was a really great night to bring our two teams together and bond. It's really what World Cup is all about...
Yesterday was reminiscent of our various UK tours. We had two practices both in sleet/ice-rain and a temperature of 5 degrees celsius (about 42 degrees)... it wasn't too bad once we got moving, but the hands never seemed to regain feeling once it was lost. After what were our last real practices of World Cup we came back and took long hot showers to try and thaw some before heading to the hotel next door for a dinner. We had a fancy little shindig to thank all our donors who have given so much of themselves to this program and to what we are doing here. My parents were able to come to the dinner, so I got to spend some time with them again. And apparently people actually read and pay attention to what I write in my blog seeing as I now have tickets to tomorrow's match for my family thanks to one of our donors, Denise Hargreaves, who read my blog and wanted me to have her tickets since she couldn't be here. Thank you, Denise!
After dinner the trading craziness began. Several of the South African girls came by looking to trade stuff, so the feeding frenzy began. I really want one of their fleeces, but unfortunately I don't think I have anything that any of them would want, so I'll have to keep scouring. I wound up with an entire South African kit, as well as a French jersey, that is pretty much spandex on me (it's a XL though and I did trade their prop), but it prevents shirt tackles.
This morning we had a short captain's run-through to just get the backs working together. And then we came back to the hotel put on as many layers as we could find, as well as the various South Africa paraphanelia we had acquired last night to go out and root on the South African team during their last match. They unfortunately lost to Kazakstan, but we cheered them on the whole way regardless. After that we came back to the hotel to shower and began the packing process. We still have two days left, but tomorrow's going to be consumed with the game, then other matches and post tournament functions that we really need to be packed before tomorrow night because we'll be leaving monday morning at the butt-crack of dawn. While packing a little low-level trading happened (I got a Irish prop's jersey). After that most people stayed low-key and read or watched movies. I watched 'The Devil Wears Prada' with Jen and Pam, before we had to go to a brief forwards meeting. Now it's a little bit till dinner and then our final jersey ceremony of the tour. I'll be getting my 3rd number 1 jersey, which is just incredible to me.
So that's about it... I'll write tomorrow before the match (I hope) to try and stay up to date or else things may get too chaotic and I'll lose track of events.
So the past couple of days have been a lot of fun and really have embodied what World Cup is all about. On Thursday I spent the day out shopping for food with Miller and KTP for our BBQ with South Africa, which was one of the highlights of the trip. We went over to the Edmonton Rocker's clubhouse and had a big BBQ. It started out a little like a junior high dance with both teams standing off to one side talking to each other, but that changed after a bit. We broke the ice initially with 'The Bottle Game', where one person is a base and the other person tries to crawl up there back and place a bottle out as far as they can without touching the ground. It's usually a drinking game, but we did it with water bottles and sober.
Then we had food, which always brings rugby players together. But the real bonding came when we played a rousing rendition of 'Chicken on the Henhouse', where everyone had to partner with someone not from their team. I won't even try and describe how you play the game, but for those of you who know what it is you know how much fun we had! After that there was a dance-off, where we went position by position with one USA dancer going head-to-head with a South African dancer. In the end we were all cracking up and the final tally was a tie (or at least I say it was, and since I was the MC keeping score what I say goes). The evening wound down with the South African girls singing and drumming for us and then with us doing our rhythm performace for them. It was a really great night to bring our two teams together and bond. It's really what World Cup is all about...
Yesterday was reminiscent of our various UK tours. We had two practices both in sleet/ice-rain and a temperature of 5 degrees celsius (about 42 degrees)... it wasn't too bad once we got moving, but the hands never seemed to regain feeling once it was lost. After what were our last real practices of World Cup we came back and took long hot showers to try and thaw some before heading to the hotel next door for a dinner. We had a fancy little shindig to thank all our donors who have given so much of themselves to this program and to what we are doing here. My parents were able to come to the dinner, so I got to spend some time with them again. And apparently people actually read and pay attention to what I write in my blog seeing as I now have tickets to tomorrow's match for my family thanks to one of our donors, Denise Hargreaves, who read my blog and wanted me to have her tickets since she couldn't be here. Thank you, Denise!
After dinner the trading craziness began. Several of the South African girls came by looking to trade stuff, so the feeding frenzy began. I really want one of their fleeces, but unfortunately I don't think I have anything that any of them would want, so I'll have to keep scouring. I wound up with an entire South African kit, as well as a French jersey, that is pretty much spandex on me (it's a XL though and I did trade their prop), but it prevents shirt tackles.
This morning we had a short captain's run-through to just get the backs working together. And then we came back to the hotel put on as many layers as we could find, as well as the various South Africa paraphanelia we had acquired last night to go out and root on the South African team during their last match. They unfortunately lost to Kazakstan, but we cheered them on the whole way regardless. After that we came back to the hotel to shower and began the packing process. We still have two days left, but tomorrow's going to be consumed with the game, then other matches and post tournament functions that we really need to be packed before tomorrow night because we'll be leaving monday morning at the butt-crack of dawn. While packing a little low-level trading happened (I got a Irish prop's jersey). After that most people stayed low-key and read or watched movies. I watched 'The Devil Wears Prada' with Jen and Pam, before we had to go to a brief forwards meeting. Now it's a little bit till dinner and then our final jersey ceremony of the tour. I'll be getting my 3rd number 1 jersey, which is just incredible to me.
So that's about it... I'll write tomorrow before the match (I hope) to try and stay up to date or else things may get too chaotic and I'll lose track of events.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
World Cup 15: It all came together
So you'd think with all the time I've had off in the past couple of days I'd have caught this up... but I caught a serious case of the lazies and haven't. So now I've got some catching up to do. So I'll start where I left off last time, which was with the jersey ceremony.
The jersey ceremony was short and to the point. Kathy's speech hinted around the discord that had been drifting around the team that I mentioned in my last post. She really emphasized our need to be unified going into our match vs Australia. After the jersey ceremony we had a team meeting to really address what had been going on for people. It was really good for us. It was also quite emotional, but I think that in many ways served the purpose of really emphasizing how much we really care about each other and this team. I left the meeting feeling a much greater sense of peace and togetherness.
I can't really remember the morning of the game. My short-term memory is non-existent. I think I spent it playing on-line cribbage, but I can't be certain. Before we left for the match Tina bought me a coffee with vanilla, which served to set my heart racing and stomach doing somersaults on the drive out to St. Albert's. We went through a quick warm-up and then it was game time. We played awesome. It was as though all the things we'd been talking about just finally came together. We were flying over breakdowns, the backs were passing and getting the ball wide, there was interpay between the backs and forwards. It was really pretty to be a part of. The only let-down happened with about 15 minutes left in the game. I think we got a bit frazzled with all the changes in the line-up die to subs and Australia capitalized on that. In the end the final score was 29-12. I felt really good about the way I played (I'm blaming the vanilla coffee) after I got sorted out in the scrums.
After the game we had our post-match exchange and then we watched the Scotland vs Ireland match, knowing that we would be playing the winners of that match on Sunday at Commonwealth Stadium. It was a fierce game with a final score of 11-10, with Scotland winning. There's a part of me that wanted Scotland to win because we haven't played them at this tourney, but I also wanted to see Ireland pull it out in the end because they played with such heart and tenacity right up to the end. After the match we came home and had dinner. Then the fun began.
A vicious rumor started circulating that there was karaoke at the hotel bar next-door. So a group of us ventured over there to croon to the masses as a victory celebration. As it would turn out karaoke is only on Sunday. The mistaken sign read Kokanee specials every night (not karaoke every night). Nonetheless we were there and decided to have some fun. We were not disappointed. There were 5 rugby teams who took over the pub (England, Ireland, Australia, USA, and South Africa) and we made a huge dance party thanks to a fun and entertaining deejay, who kept things moving. I went through two shirts because it was so hot and we were sweating so much, but it was a blast. A few of us schemed to try and abscond the Australian's Stuffed Wallaroo that they carry around, but our attempts were thwarted. I came home around midnight and showered before falling soundly asleep.
Farrah moving in on the Wallaroo
I told you it was hot in there
Yesterday seems so long ago. It was quite a fun day. In the morning we went to a local high school and taught rugby to a gym class. There were about 20 boys and 30 girls, and we worked with them on passing, kicking, evasive running, etc. At the end we even had a little time to do some tackling. After the gym class was over we did a Q&A session with the school's boys and girls rugby teams. All in all it was a lot of fun and went really well. We came back from the school and went directly to lunch. After lunch we had a pool recovery session with Michelle, before being released for the rest of the day.
Some people spent the day watching pay-per-view movies at the hotel. Others wandered over the gym to do light workout. Jen and I went and did laundry. Hopefully this should be the last time for the trip, though it has been raining and getting colder so we might go through more clothes than normal. After laundry, Jen and I came back to the hotel and then decided to go out and get Sushi for dinner. It was alright, but unfortunately we forget that we're from California where you can get amazing sushi just about anywhere, and right now we're in a land-locked state in Canada. We may have set our expectations too high :) After dinner we came back and had dessert with the folks who stayed and ate at the hotel and then watched some movies and tv for the the rest of the evening. It was a great way to end and otherwide dreary and grey day.
This morning we had breakfast and then had a brief video session. We were watching the reffing style of the ref we're going to have for our match on Sunday, as well as some footage of the Scottish team to see what we should expect. Then it was shower time so that we could be ready for our photo-shoot with Jen Doan. We were doing head shots out at a sanctuary near the river. It was beautiful out there and it really made me miss the fall, which we don't really get to see being in Oakland. I went off wandering while other people got their pictures taken. It was gorgeous. I wish I could have spent more time exploring the trails and wild-life.
After we took the pictures we came back and I cleaned my muddy chacos off and finally finished writing this. Now it's lunch time and we have the rest of the day free until 5pm when we're going to have a BBQ with the South African team. I have no idea what to do. Maybe I'll wander up to the outlets with some of the other girls (not that I need to do any shopping). Who knows...
The jersey ceremony was short and to the point. Kathy's speech hinted around the discord that had been drifting around the team that I mentioned in my last post. She really emphasized our need to be unified going into our match vs Australia. After the jersey ceremony we had a team meeting to really address what had been going on for people. It was really good for us. It was also quite emotional, but I think that in many ways served the purpose of really emphasizing how much we really care about each other and this team. I left the meeting feeling a much greater sense of peace and togetherness.
I can't really remember the morning of the game. My short-term memory is non-existent. I think I spent it playing on-line cribbage, but I can't be certain. Before we left for the match Tina bought me a coffee with vanilla, which served to set my heart racing and stomach doing somersaults on the drive out to St. Albert's. We went through a quick warm-up and then it was game time. We played awesome. It was as though all the things we'd been talking about just finally came together. We were flying over breakdowns, the backs were passing and getting the ball wide, there was interpay between the backs and forwards. It was really pretty to be a part of. The only let-down happened with about 15 minutes left in the game. I think we got a bit frazzled with all the changes in the line-up die to subs and Australia capitalized on that. In the end the final score was 29-12. I felt really good about the way I played (I'm blaming the vanilla coffee) after I got sorted out in the scrums.
After the game we had our post-match exchange and then we watched the Scotland vs Ireland match, knowing that we would be playing the winners of that match on Sunday at Commonwealth Stadium. It was a fierce game with a final score of 11-10, with Scotland winning. There's a part of me that wanted Scotland to win because we haven't played them at this tourney, but I also wanted to see Ireland pull it out in the end because they played with such heart and tenacity right up to the end. After the match we came home and had dinner. Then the fun began.
A vicious rumor started circulating that there was karaoke at the hotel bar next-door. So a group of us ventured over there to croon to the masses as a victory celebration. As it would turn out karaoke is only on Sunday. The mistaken sign read Kokanee specials every night (not karaoke every night). Nonetheless we were there and decided to have some fun. We were not disappointed. There were 5 rugby teams who took over the pub (England, Ireland, Australia, USA, and South Africa) and we made a huge dance party thanks to a fun and entertaining deejay, who kept things moving. I went through two shirts because it was so hot and we were sweating so much, but it was a blast. A few of us schemed to try and abscond the Australian's Stuffed Wallaroo that they carry around, but our attempts were thwarted. I came home around midnight and showered before falling soundly asleep.
Farrah moving in on the Wallaroo
I told you it was hot in there
Yesterday seems so long ago. It was quite a fun day. In the morning we went to a local high school and taught rugby to a gym class. There were about 20 boys and 30 girls, and we worked with them on passing, kicking, evasive running, etc. At the end we even had a little time to do some tackling. After the gym class was over we did a Q&A session with the school's boys and girls rugby teams. All in all it was a lot of fun and went really well. We came back from the school and went directly to lunch. After lunch we had a pool recovery session with Michelle, before being released for the rest of the day.
Some people spent the day watching pay-per-view movies at the hotel. Others wandered over the gym to do light workout. Jen and I went and did laundry. Hopefully this should be the last time for the trip, though it has been raining and getting colder so we might go through more clothes than normal. After laundry, Jen and I came back to the hotel and then decided to go out and get Sushi for dinner. It was alright, but unfortunately we forget that we're from California where you can get amazing sushi just about anywhere, and right now we're in a land-locked state in Canada. We may have set our expectations too high :) After dinner we came back and had dessert with the folks who stayed and ate at the hotel and then watched some movies and tv for the the rest of the evening. It was a great way to end and otherwide dreary and grey day.
This morning we had breakfast and then had a brief video session. We were watching the reffing style of the ref we're going to have for our match on Sunday, as well as some footage of the Scottish team to see what we should expect. Then it was shower time so that we could be ready for our photo-shoot with Jen Doan. We were doing head shots out at a sanctuary near the river. It was beautiful out there and it really made me miss the fall, which we don't really get to see being in Oakland. I went off wandering while other people got their pictures taken. It was gorgeous. I wish I could have spent more time exploring the trails and wild-life.
After we took the pictures we came back and I cleaned my muddy chacos off and finally finished writing this. Now it's lunch time and we have the rest of the day free until 5pm when we're going to have a BBQ with the South African team. I have no idea what to do. Maybe I'll wander up to the outlets with some of the other girls (not that I need to do any shopping). Who knows...
Monday, September 11, 2006
World Cup 14: Axe-throwing, horse feeding bowlers
Well the title probably leaves everyone a bit confused, so I'll explain... I'm writing this now to keep from chucking my computer out a 5th floor window because of technical problems. I've been trying to do a redcross instructor update for the past hour and the computer has been eating it each time I do it... after three times I've given up for a while.
So the past two days have been very interesting and hard and fun and everything in between. Yesterday we went to the Druids pitch at around 11:30am. We ate lunch at subway and then went to the clubhouse to watch the match video. There were definitely some frustrating things in it, but we were also able to see some of the positive things we did. After lunch and the video we got ready for an afternoon training session. Before practice began selections were announced. I'm going to be playing tighthead prop.
I didn't realize how much selections affect team dynamics but there seems to be a definite polarity between those who were selected and those who were not, at least backswise (I guess we don't notice it in the forwards as much because positions are constantly being rotated around and tweaked). I don't understand it because it's not like the people who got selected were involved in the selection process. There's no reason that those people should feel guilty for getting selected. Right now I don't think they feel as supported as they could be. I understand that it's hard to not get selected for a game, but divisions in the team can really impact morale and cohesiveness. It just splinters everything. Part of me questions whether I should be writing this but I'm not about to start editing my personal blog. That would take away from my sense of integrity about what I'm writing. That and I don't think it's a surprise that people get upset by selections particularly if they aren't picked. That's the nature of competitive sports in many ways. I guess the bigger issue is when that disappointment interferes with the unity of the team. Hopefully, once everyone has some time alone to process it'll be fine.
Practice was hard. There seemed to be a lot of competetive energy, flowing around. After practice we tried to shower before heading to Sue and Wes' for another BBQ but unfortunately were greeted by no water in th lockerroom. So we had to go with the deodorant shower before heading over there. When we arrived there we were greeted by several horses that were really excited about our willingness to give them lots of hay and grass. I guess the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
Sue then showed us how to do lumberjack ax throwing. It's a part of the lumberjack competitions. Apparently people actually make a living at it. Of everyone, Mari was the best with the ax. She scored 12 points.
Then we sat around the bonfire, while folks tried to break open a pinata. The cherry on the cake was when Wes told us that he'd hook up the sled-dogs to the ATV and take KFlo on a sled ride around the property. It was really impressive how fast those dogs run.
The only problem with the day was that my family wasn't there. They were supposed to be there. We were told once we got to practice that family and friends could come to the BBQ, so I called my mom and told her about it. They said that there would be directions at the front desk of the hotel, but there weren't. My mom had tried to call CArrie's phone to get directions, but unfortunately I didn't realize that Carrie didn't have her phone on her. So I didn't realize there weren't directions until Mari's parents arrived and I found out that they had gotten directions in the van ride out to the house. It was really disappointing, both because I didn't get to spend the time with my mom and john, but also because it hurt my mom's feelings because she thought I didn't care enough to find out what happened. I did and as soon as I realized Carrie didn't have her phone on her I went and called my mom, but they were back at their hotel.
When we got back to the hotel we just lazed about. I didn't realize how upset I had been by the miscommunication with my mom. I don't like feeling like people are hurt by me or disappointed by what I've done or haven't done. I spent some time talking about it with Jen. She made me feel a lot better. At that point I decided that I should put myself to bed, which I did by watching the replay of the Federer-Roddick match.
This morning was very low-key. We had breakfast and then nothing until 1:30pm. A lot of people went and did laundry, slept, watched movies, etc. I watched cooking and forensics shows with Jen. The we got ready for our Captain's practice. Ashley had been speculating that she thought we weren't doing the practice thing because of the specific clothes they had told us to wear. She was correct. We left the hotel and drove down the street to the bowling alley. There the backs played the forwards, with the forwards winning. We were carried by strong performances by Cox with 184 and Mari with 155. Then we were treated to some entertainment when Mari, Sinkler, Patty, Heather, and Farrah worked on their moves with 'Dance Dance Revolution' (DDR for those in the know) in the arcade.
Then we came back to the hotel and had several hours before dinner and the jersey ceremony. As I explained, I spent that time wrestling with my computer and now writing this. So now I'll go and shower before dinner and the jersey ceremony... the jersey I get tonight will be indicative of my 10th cap... rolling into double digits.
So the past two days have been very interesting and hard and fun and everything in between. Yesterday we went to the Druids pitch at around 11:30am. We ate lunch at subway and then went to the clubhouse to watch the match video. There were definitely some frustrating things in it, but we were also able to see some of the positive things we did. After lunch and the video we got ready for an afternoon training session. Before practice began selections were announced. I'm going to be playing tighthead prop.
I didn't realize how much selections affect team dynamics but there seems to be a definite polarity between those who were selected and those who were not, at least backswise (I guess we don't notice it in the forwards as much because positions are constantly being rotated around and tweaked). I don't understand it because it's not like the people who got selected were involved in the selection process. There's no reason that those people should feel guilty for getting selected. Right now I don't think they feel as supported as they could be. I understand that it's hard to not get selected for a game, but divisions in the team can really impact morale and cohesiveness. It just splinters everything. Part of me questions whether I should be writing this but I'm not about to start editing my personal blog. That would take away from my sense of integrity about what I'm writing. That and I don't think it's a surprise that people get upset by selections particularly if they aren't picked. That's the nature of competitive sports in many ways. I guess the bigger issue is when that disappointment interferes with the unity of the team. Hopefully, once everyone has some time alone to process it'll be fine.
Practice was hard. There seemed to be a lot of competetive energy, flowing around. After practice we tried to shower before heading to Sue and Wes' for another BBQ but unfortunately were greeted by no water in th lockerroom. So we had to go with the deodorant shower before heading over there. When we arrived there we were greeted by several horses that were really excited about our willingness to give them lots of hay and grass. I guess the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
Sue then showed us how to do lumberjack ax throwing. It's a part of the lumberjack competitions. Apparently people actually make a living at it. Of everyone, Mari was the best with the ax. She scored 12 points.
Then we sat around the bonfire, while folks tried to break open a pinata. The cherry on the cake was when Wes told us that he'd hook up the sled-dogs to the ATV and take KFlo on a sled ride around the property. It was really impressive how fast those dogs run.
The only problem with the day was that my family wasn't there. They were supposed to be there. We were told once we got to practice that family and friends could come to the BBQ, so I called my mom and told her about it. They said that there would be directions at the front desk of the hotel, but there weren't. My mom had tried to call CArrie's phone to get directions, but unfortunately I didn't realize that Carrie didn't have her phone on her. So I didn't realize there weren't directions until Mari's parents arrived and I found out that they had gotten directions in the van ride out to the house. It was really disappointing, both because I didn't get to spend the time with my mom and john, but also because it hurt my mom's feelings because she thought I didn't care enough to find out what happened. I did and as soon as I realized Carrie didn't have her phone on her I went and called my mom, but they were back at their hotel.
When we got back to the hotel we just lazed about. I didn't realize how upset I had been by the miscommunication with my mom. I don't like feeling like people are hurt by me or disappointed by what I've done or haven't done. I spent some time talking about it with Jen. She made me feel a lot better. At that point I decided that I should put myself to bed, which I did by watching the replay of the Federer-Roddick match.
This morning was very low-key. We had breakfast and then nothing until 1:30pm. A lot of people went and did laundry, slept, watched movies, etc. I watched cooking and forensics shows with Jen. The we got ready for our Captain's practice. Ashley had been speculating that she thought we weren't doing the practice thing because of the specific clothes they had told us to wear. She was correct. We left the hotel and drove down the street to the bowling alley. There the backs played the forwards, with the forwards winning. We were carried by strong performances by Cox with 184 and Mari with 155. Then we were treated to some entertainment when Mari, Sinkler, Patty, Heather, and Farrah worked on their moves with 'Dance Dance Revolution' (DDR for those in the know) in the arcade.
Then we came back to the hotel and had several hours before dinner and the jersey ceremony. As I explained, I spent that time wrestling with my computer and now writing this. So now I'll go and shower before dinner and the jersey ceremony... the jersey I get tonight will be indicative of my 10th cap... rolling into double digits.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
World Cup 13: Oz Again
So we had our match yesterday. We came out on top 10-6. It was a brutal game. I woke up this morning feeling like I was hit by a train. They really pressured hard and it took all we had to keep the score margin where it was. It should not have been as close of a game as it was, but I can't dwell in the world of "should have". Because of the way the rest of the matches wound up we will be playing Australia again on Tuesday because they are 7th and we are 6th. The top 4 right now are NZ, Eng, Can, and Fran. It's really frustrating that the set-up of this tournament is such that in the end the 4th place team will be 2-3, while the 5th place team will be 4-1. Doesn't make sense!
After our match we showered and watched the France vs England game. England won without much problem. I got to spend time with my parents before heading back to the hotel. There we ate dinner and then I went to get treatment from our medical staff seeing as I couldn't look over my right shoulder without a lot of pain. After that several of us wandered down to the lounge in the lobby for a drink. I didn't have one because I was tired and dehydrated and wound up coming back upstairs shortly thereafter and wound up watching some US Open repeats on tv.
This morning both Carrie and I completely slept through the alarm and only just woke up in time for breakfast. We staggered down and scarfed down some eggs and toast before our pool recovery session with Michelle. It was pretty easy. After the pool recovery I had a massage. They arranged to have 4 massage therapists come to the hotel for 3 hours to do massages. So I definitely took advantage of that.
Then we spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our day off. There was talk of going to the mall, going to downtown edmonton, heading out to Elk Island National Park, etc. I was in the "how can I be as lazy as humany possible" crowd. So we decided to go to the mall and watch a movie and walk around a bit. We decided to see 'Wicker Man', which was #3 in the box office. It was horrible, but on a positive note it really allowed the brain to completely shut-down for 2 hours, so it served one decompression option.
After the movie we wandered back through the 48 city blocks worth of mall to the entrance that KTP had dropped us off at earlier in the day. One thing to note that we discovered is that the Budget rental vans are taller than 6'6", since we clipped all of the over head barriers on our way into the parking lot. Luckily they were all attached with chains and not solid.
Jen and I went out to dinner with my mom and step-dad. We went to a little indian restaurant that was really good. This was the first time that Jen has spent any significant time with my mom and step-dad, and things went remarkably well. There was no lack of things to talk about with John's love of sports and their love of travel... I hope it can be a continued rapport developed between all of them as time goes on. When we got back to the hotel the mindlessness continued with watching 'Maid in Manhatten', more tennis, and recently '13 Going on 30'. After spending a considerable time hanging out in Jen's room talking with Pam, Jen, and Maggie, I decided it was time to get to bed so that I could get ready for another day of hard training tomorrow. We've really got to get focused because Australia's going to come out hard against us on Tuesday because they've got something to prove. And we have as well, so the next several days will be quite intense... so I should get to sleep and I'll finish this and upload the pictures and such tomorrow before our practice session in the morning.
So this morning was very grey and blah... we woke up to thunder and lightening and lots of rain. It's the kind of day that cries for cuddling, movies, and hot chocolate. I got a few of those this morning after practice. Now I'm packing for the day. We have one practice session this afternoon and then we're having another BBQ at Susan's house. Unfortunately I don't think the weather's going to be as nice this time around as it was last time, but we'll see. Now it's time to head to practice to prepare for Australia again.
After our match we showered and watched the France vs England game. England won without much problem. I got to spend time with my parents before heading back to the hotel. There we ate dinner and then I went to get treatment from our medical staff seeing as I couldn't look over my right shoulder without a lot of pain. After that several of us wandered down to the lounge in the lobby for a drink. I didn't have one because I was tired and dehydrated and wound up coming back upstairs shortly thereafter and wound up watching some US Open repeats on tv.
This morning both Carrie and I completely slept through the alarm and only just woke up in time for breakfast. We staggered down and scarfed down some eggs and toast before our pool recovery session with Michelle. It was pretty easy. After the pool recovery I had a massage. They arranged to have 4 massage therapists come to the hotel for 3 hours to do massages. So I definitely took advantage of that.
Then we spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our day off. There was talk of going to the mall, going to downtown edmonton, heading out to Elk Island National Park, etc. I was in the "how can I be as lazy as humany possible" crowd. So we decided to go to the mall and watch a movie and walk around a bit. We decided to see 'Wicker Man', which was #3 in the box office. It was horrible, but on a positive note it really allowed the brain to completely shut-down for 2 hours, so it served one decompression option.
After the movie we wandered back through the 48 city blocks worth of mall to the entrance that KTP had dropped us off at earlier in the day. One thing to note that we discovered is that the Budget rental vans are taller than 6'6", since we clipped all of the over head barriers on our way into the parking lot. Luckily they were all attached with chains and not solid.
Jen and I went out to dinner with my mom and step-dad. We went to a little indian restaurant that was really good. This was the first time that Jen has spent any significant time with my mom and step-dad, and things went remarkably well. There was no lack of things to talk about with John's love of sports and their love of travel... I hope it can be a continued rapport developed between all of them as time goes on. When we got back to the hotel the mindlessness continued with watching 'Maid in Manhatten', more tennis, and recently '13 Going on 30'. After spending a considerable time hanging out in Jen's room talking with Pam, Jen, and Maggie, I decided it was time to get to bed so that I could get ready for another day of hard training tomorrow. We've really got to get focused because Australia's going to come out hard against us on Tuesday because they've got something to prove. And we have as well, so the next several days will be quite intense... so I should get to sleep and I'll finish this and upload the pictures and such tomorrow before our practice session in the morning.
So this morning was very grey and blah... we woke up to thunder and lightening and lots of rain. It's the kind of day that cries for cuddling, movies, and hot chocolate. I got a few of those this morning after practice. Now I'm packing for the day. We have one practice session this afternoon and then we're having another BBQ at Susan's house. Unfortunately I don't think the weather's going to be as nice this time around as it was last time, but we'll see. Now it's time to head to practice to prepare for Australia again.
Friday, September 08, 2006
World Cup 12: Game day vs. Oz
So, as par for the course I'm writing this as a distraction from the impending match versus Australia that will kick off in 3.5 hours. Carrie and I just came up from a pre-game weigh-in down in the fitness center. Unfortunately the scale didn't work so we're left without numbers. So now I'm up here getting ready for the game and writing this and sort of getting distracted by the fact that Carrie is watching 'Ellen'.
Yesterday was a very low-key day. We had a morning lineout practice down at a local high school. Then several of us who were running out of clothes went to a laundromat and did some laundry. It was a fun little foray where we sat playing cards, reading, etc.
After laundry it was time for lunch and then I took a little nap before heading to the pitch in St Albert for the Captain's practice. It was interesting because we weren't allowed to run on the field, which sort of takes aways from the name 'captain's run'. SO instead we moved to a side field to practice at pace. After the practice we came back to the hotel and lounged around watching CSI (our addiction) before dinner. Dinner was a fun adventure because we wound up involved in a rousing game of 'Who's line is it anyway?'. We got the coaches up for a dating game, where Krista had to decide between a Trekkie Liz, a Bronx Hair-dresser with a tic Candi, and an alcoholic T-rex Kathy. It was really funny. Kathy may have missed her calling.
After dinner we had the jersey ceremony. I was a little surprised that there were still so many friends and family here, after the mass exodus of NY players left earlier in the week. My mom and step-dad were there again. There seemed to be more parents and family there this time than before. Kathy's pre-presentation speech this time was reading all the good-luck messages from the womeneagles site. It was really great to have all those messages read to us.
After the ceremony I hung out with Jen until it was my time to go see Doc and Andrea. I was in there longer than anticipated because I git sucked into an episode of CSI (do you sense a recurring theme?)... then I came back and watched some US Open before heading to bed. This morning we had breakfast and then had a meeting with Kathy to talk about what she learned from her meeting with the head referee from the tournament. We need to be really conservative and play squeaky clean because the refs are going to be watching for infringements. After that we all spent some time relaxing (i.e. writing this) before we head to the game. Now we have 20 min until we leave, so it's time to wind it down. This match dtermines where we go with this tourney, so hopefully I'll have godd things to write next.
Yesterday was a very low-key day. We had a morning lineout practice down at a local high school. Then several of us who were running out of clothes went to a laundromat and did some laundry. It was a fun little foray where we sat playing cards, reading, etc.
After laundry it was time for lunch and then I took a little nap before heading to the pitch in St Albert for the Captain's practice. It was interesting because we weren't allowed to run on the field, which sort of takes aways from the name 'captain's run'. SO instead we moved to a side field to practice at pace. After the practice we came back to the hotel and lounged around watching CSI (our addiction) before dinner. Dinner was a fun adventure because we wound up involved in a rousing game of 'Who's line is it anyway?'. We got the coaches up for a dating game, where Krista had to decide between a Trekkie Liz, a Bronx Hair-dresser with a tic Candi, and an alcoholic T-rex Kathy. It was really funny. Kathy may have missed her calling.
After dinner we had the jersey ceremony. I was a little surprised that there were still so many friends and family here, after the mass exodus of NY players left earlier in the week. My mom and step-dad were there again. There seemed to be more parents and family there this time than before. Kathy's pre-presentation speech this time was reading all the good-luck messages from the womeneagles site. It was really great to have all those messages read to us.
After the ceremony I hung out with Jen until it was my time to go see Doc and Andrea. I was in there longer than anticipated because I git sucked into an episode of CSI (do you sense a recurring theme?)... then I came back and watched some US Open before heading to bed. This morning we had breakfast and then had a meeting with Kathy to talk about what she learned from her meeting with the head referee from the tournament. We need to be really conservative and play squeaky clean because the refs are going to be watching for infringements. After that we all spent some time relaxing (i.e. writing this) before we head to the game. Now we have 20 min until we leave, so it's time to wind it down. This match dtermines where we go with this tourney, so hopefully I'll have godd things to write next.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
World Cup 11: Prep for Australia
So today was fairly uneventful, which was a surprise. I think most of us were expecting two hard sessions, but instead we only had one and a video session. We ate breakfast this morning and then had some time to relax before heading out to the Strathcona Druids' pitch. There we watched the Australia v. France match from last Monday, and evaluated the game for what we thought were Australia's strengths and weaknesses. I made a friend. There was a little black cat who lives at the clubhouse...
okay, continuing where I was after a brief hiatus to play 2 games of cribbage with Shousie and to sit and gossip with Pam and Jen. Now I'm back in my room typing this while Annie, Carrie, and Farrah play rummy.
The little black cat sat on my lap the entire video session and purred. He only had one ear because he lost the other one to frostbite earlier. He was super affectionate. I wanted to take him home with me.
After the video session we got lunch from Subway. It was super exciting to not have to eat hotel food for a meal. We scarfed down our footlong subs and cookies and then got ready for practice.
Before we began the session Kathy announced selections. I got the nod to start at loosehead, which is really exciting for me, but also a lot of pressure considering how important this game is to our standings in the tournament. The training session was very intense and hard, but in the end everything started to fall together as we ran together with backs and forwards.
After the practice we came back to the hotel and did ice baths and epsom salt soaks before dinner. After dinner I spent some time cuddling with Jen before it was my time slot to see Doc. After Doc worked her magic I got a massage from Sarah, which was awesome. Then I came back here to write, but as previously explained I got disctracted from the task at hand. So yeah... now I'm ready to get to bed and get ready for another day here in the lovely land of Edmonton.
okay, continuing where I was after a brief hiatus to play 2 games of cribbage with Shousie and to sit and gossip with Pam and Jen. Now I'm back in my room typing this while Annie, Carrie, and Farrah play rummy.
The little black cat sat on my lap the entire video session and purred. He only had one ear because he lost the other one to frostbite earlier. He was super affectionate. I wanted to take him home with me.
After the video session we got lunch from Subway. It was super exciting to not have to eat hotel food for a meal. We scarfed down our footlong subs and cookies and then got ready for practice.
Before we began the session Kathy announced selections. I got the nod to start at loosehead, which is really exciting for me, but also a lot of pressure considering how important this game is to our standings in the tournament. The training session was very intense and hard, but in the end everything started to fall together as we ran together with backs and forwards.After the practice we came back to the hotel and did ice baths and epsom salt soaks before dinner. After dinner I spent some time cuddling with Jen before it was my time slot to see Doc. After Doc worked her magic I got a massage from Sarah, which was awesome. Then I came back here to write, but as previously explained I got disctracted from the task at hand. So yeah... now I'm ready to get to bed and get ready for another day here in the lovely land of Edmonton.
World Cup 10: Practice then prison
So, today was not nearly as bad as we anticipated. Our first task for the day was to do the last saliva sample for Trie. I feel like most of us probably had elevated cortisol levels because of being stressed about what we had in store for training. We did have practice this morning but it wasn't the two hours that we had been threatened with. Instead it was 45 minutes of hard running and contact work. It was really helpful for our flow and game play and left us feeling really gelled together. After practice we came back to the hotel and I saw my dad off. He's going to try and come back for the last weekend if the tickets are reasonable. Then we ate lunch.
After lunch we went out to a local youth correction facility. We did a bunch of drills and then got some of the kids to get involved. They were particularly amused when we put them into scrums and lineouts. We were trying to emphasize the positive impact that participating in sports has had for us. The whole idea of wanting to belong to something and having that sense of family in the team. We only got to stay for about an hour, but it was fun nonetheless.
When we got back to the hotel we had a video session, where we watched yesterday's game. It was frustrating to watch, but also really pointed out some of the critical mental errors that have plagued us in international play. So hopefully we'll be able to adapt to our mistakes and learn from them.
After the video it was free time. A group of us (Patty, Hedwig, Heather, Annie, Jen, Ashley, CArrie, and myself) went out to dinner to get Thai food, while others went to Olive Garden. It took a long time for our food to arrive but while we waited we got to hear lots of entertaining stories. And when it did arrive it was worth it. Wonderful curry, though it did clear the sinuses really well. By the time dinner was done it was 8:30pm and there was just enough time for me to go see Doc to get some treatment before heading back to my room to write this.
Now I'm trying to keep from getting sucked into 'Cruel Intentions' but unfortunately I think the addiction is kicking in. Hopefull it's almost over because I don't know if I'll be able to separate myself.
After lunch we went out to a local youth correction facility. We did a bunch of drills and then got some of the kids to get involved. They were particularly amused when we put them into scrums and lineouts. We were trying to emphasize the positive impact that participating in sports has had for us. The whole idea of wanting to belong to something and having that sense of family in the team. We only got to stay for about an hour, but it was fun nonetheless.
When we got back to the hotel we had a video session, where we watched yesterday's game. It was frustrating to watch, but also really pointed out some of the critical mental errors that have plagued us in international play. So hopefully we'll be able to adapt to our mistakes and learn from them.
After the video it was free time. A group of us (Patty, Hedwig, Heather, Annie, Jen, Ashley, CArrie, and myself) went out to dinner to get Thai food, while others went to Olive Garden. It took a long time for our food to arrive but while we waited we got to hear lots of entertaining stories. And when it did arrive it was worth it. Wonderful curry, though it did clear the sinuses really well. By the time dinner was done it was 8:30pm and there was just enough time for me to go see Doc to get some treatment before heading back to my room to write this.
Now I'm trying to keep from getting sucked into 'Cruel Intentions' but unfortunately I think the addiction is kicking in. Hopefull it's almost over because I don't know if I'll be able to separate myself.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
World Cup 9: Frustration all around
So, we won our match versus Ireland, but it's a bit of a bittersweet victory. Because of the way the seedings and standing are set up for this tournament, our 24-11 win means that we did not score enough points to offset the point differential of the other 2 and 1 teams. This means that we have a really hard road to travel if we are to still make the semi-finals. Three things must happen and unfortunately we can only control one of them. One, we have to beat Australia and beat them by a lot. Two, Scotland has to get cremated by New Zealand. Three, Canada has to not beat Kazhakstan by too much (or not win at all). It sucks that we have so little control over the situation at this point, but that's what happens with this set-up, which doesn't make any sense in the first place.
Before I talk about the game, I'll talk about last night. It was really great for my family to be at the jersey ceremony, as well as some of my friends from D.C. There's something validating about having that type of support network and having them here to see me. It really makes me feel loved. After the jersey ceremony I went to bed and my dad went and hung out with the NYRC folks and had fun.
Me and my mom at the jersey ceremony
Me and my dad at the jersey ceremony
This morning was fairly quick because we had a noon game, so we left for the field at 9:45 am. We had to get there early because we had the next testing trial for Trie's cortisol/testosterone study. Our warm-ups went really well and carried us into the game, but then things started to get frazzled as we didn't adjust to the refs poor officiating. We killed ourselves on penalties, and also on the franticness associated with knowing that we had to score at least 4 tries to get the bonus point
to stay in it. It's ironic that our place in the seedings has been so effected by
our obsession with making sure we got our bonus point. In the end we stopped playing as a team and started just trying to score as individuals as we worked towards that magic number 4. Needless to say Kathy was not thrilled with us and has informed us that we will be having a hard and grueling training session tomorrow.
Watching the game with my girl
After the match we stayed and watched the other two matches that were after ours. South Afric lost to England, but fought hard, and Australia lost to France in another hard fought game. After the matches we came back to the hotel and ate dinner. Then I went down and hung out with my dad, who's leaving tomorrow. We watched my favorite tv show, Prison Break, and ate cheese tortellini. Now I'm retiring to try and get nice and rested before tomorrow's morning death squad.
Before I talk about the game, I'll talk about last night. It was really great for my family to be at the jersey ceremony, as well as some of my friends from D.C. There's something validating about having that type of support network and having them here to see me. It really makes me feel loved. After the jersey ceremony I went to bed and my dad went and hung out with the NYRC folks and had fun.
Me and my mom at the jersey ceremony
Me and my dad at the jersey ceremony
This morning was fairly quick because we had a noon game, so we left for the field at 9:45 am. We had to get there early because we had the next testing trial for Trie's cortisol/testosterone study. Our warm-ups went really well and carried us into the game, but then things started to get frazzled as we didn't adjust to the refs poor officiating. We killed ourselves on penalties, and also on the franticness associated with knowing that we had to score at least 4 tries to get the bonus point
to stay in it. It's ironic that our place in the seedings has been so effected by
our obsession with making sure we got our bonus point. In the end we stopped playing as a team and started just trying to score as individuals as we worked towards that magic number 4. Needless to say Kathy was not thrilled with us and has informed us that we will be having a hard and grueling training session tomorrow.
Watching the game with my girl
After the match we stayed and watched the other two matches that were after ours. South Afric lost to England, but fought hard, and Australia lost to France in another hard fought game. After the matches we came back to the hotel and ate dinner. Then I went down and hung out with my dad, who's leaving tomorrow. We watched my favorite tv show, Prison Break, and ate cheese tortellini. Now I'm retiring to try and get nice and rested before tomorrow's morning death squad.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
World Cup 8: Slip-n-slides and Sled Dogs
So, yesterday was a great day... lots of fun... In the morning before practice Kathy announced selections (I'm a reserve), so that was the lineup we primarily worked with during the practice sessions. We worked on lineouts and some scrum work, as well as some contact work around the fringes. It seemed to fly by and before we knew it we were headed back to the hotel for lunch. We had a really quick turn-around and were back out at the field at 2pm for practice again. There we worked on some more scrum/lineout stuff and then did some running together as forwards and backs.
Laura and Baja play on the tractor before practice
Wow... just had a slight delay in finishing my post because my mom showed up to use the fitness center and then I ran into my dad in the lobby and before you know it, it's 2:00 and we're just getting back from the Captain's practice. So I guess I'll continue from where I was.
After practice we showered at the practice pitches and then we headed over to our Liason Susan's house where we had an awesome BBQ. It was great. Susan and her husband Wes have a kennel and raise sled dogs. They have 31 of them. We got to take them for a walk around their acres of property.
Jen making friends
Also, they had a huge slip-n-slide set up down the hill behind their house. So several of us put on bathing suits and got soaped up and went down. This resulted in some interesting acrobatics, as well as some races because we can't do anything without making it a competition afterall. Then we used the kiddie pool to rinse off the suds.
Ellie, Kim, and Baja race down
The slip-n-slide crew
Rinsing off
They invited everyone who wanted to come to the BBQ to be there so there was lots of friends and family and other supporters there. We stayed there eating lots of wonderful food and hanging out for a long time. We also made some friends with the kids and in the end had to resprt the throwing them in the pool to save Pam from their onslaught. It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend a Labor Day weekend.
Our Hosts in front and fan club in the air
After the BBQ we came back to the hotel and I went to get worked on by Abby. Then I hunted down my dad, who flew in, and we watched Grosse Pointe Blank till he fell asleep. So I abandoned him and came back to my room and passed out watching Law and Order.
This morning we had breakfast and then I came back upstairs to work on this update when my mom and step-dad showed up. While I was getting them situated in the fitness center I ran into dad in the lobby. So he and I took a ride out to the airport to pick up a rental car. On the way back we wandered through 'Old Strathcona' (an area of Edmonton with cowboy bars and a pedestrian area) before heading back to the hotel so that I could get ready for the Captain's Run. He came out and watched the practice and I tried to enlist him to go spy on the Irish, but they were winding down so he didn't get much intel. Now I'm back here at the hotel and we have some down time until our video session at 5pm. So I'm going to shower and then Doc wants to work on those of us who are rostered for tomorrow that need stuff done so that she's not up until midnight again. Then there's dinner and jersey ceremony. I'm sure I'll have more to write tomorrow to try and stay calm before the game.
Laura and Baja play on the tractor before practice
Wow... just had a slight delay in finishing my post because my mom showed up to use the fitness center and then I ran into my dad in the lobby and before you know it, it's 2:00 and we're just getting back from the Captain's practice. So I guess I'll continue from where I was.
After practice we showered at the practice pitches and then we headed over to our Liason Susan's house where we had an awesome BBQ. It was great. Susan and her husband Wes have a kennel and raise sled dogs. They have 31 of them. We got to take them for a walk around their acres of property.
Jen making friends
Also, they had a huge slip-n-slide set up down the hill behind their house. So several of us put on bathing suits and got soaped up and went down. This resulted in some interesting acrobatics, as well as some races because we can't do anything without making it a competition afterall. Then we used the kiddie pool to rinse off the suds.
Ellie, Kim, and Baja race down
The slip-n-slide crew
Rinsing off
They invited everyone who wanted to come to the BBQ to be there so there was lots of friends and family and other supporters there. We stayed there eating lots of wonderful food and hanging out for a long time. We also made some friends with the kids and in the end had to resprt the throwing them in the pool to save Pam from their onslaught. It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend a Labor Day weekend.
Our Hosts in front and fan club in the air
After the BBQ we came back to the hotel and I went to get worked on by Abby. Then I hunted down my dad, who flew in, and we watched Grosse Pointe Blank till he fell asleep. So I abandoned him and came back to my room and passed out watching Law and Order.
This morning we had breakfast and then I came back upstairs to work on this update when my mom and step-dad showed up. While I was getting them situated in the fitness center I ran into dad in the lobby. So he and I took a ride out to the airport to pick up a rental car. On the way back we wandered through 'Old Strathcona' (an area of Edmonton with cowboy bars and a pedestrian area) before heading back to the hotel so that I could get ready for the Captain's Run. He came out and watched the practice and I tried to enlist him to go spy on the Irish, but they were winding down so he didn't get much intel. Now I'm back here at the hotel and we have some down time until our video session at 5pm. So I'm going to shower and then Doc wants to work on those of us who are rostered for tomorrow that need stuff done so that she's not up until midnight again. Then there's dinner and jersey ceremony. I'm sure I'll have more to write tomorrow to try and stay calm before the game.
Friday, September 01, 2006
World Cup 7: Missed opportunities
Well, I suppose the title says it all... we missed a lot of opportunities during our match yesterday. We lost to England 18-0, but the score really doesn't reflect the way the game went. For the first 60 mintues of the game we were deadlocked at 0-0, when then scored off a penalty. Then they managed to score two tries plus one more penalty kick. We fought really hard but we didn't capitalize on the times when we had offensive opportunity. I was disappointed in the way the lineouts went and towards the end of the match my own loss of focus in the scrum. I let myself get bogged down in the referee's poor officiating of the set-piece and it took a toll on my performance. I guess it's good to be able to appreciate that and to know that it's a critical piece for me to work on going forward in this tournament. By and large I think we really surprised the English who I think really were planning on walking over us, and we let them know that we were going to make them play.
Phaidra hits a tackle
Laura takes on their flanker
After the game I got informed that I had been randomly selected for drug-testing, so I got to spend the next hour or so being supervised to insure that I wasn't taking anything I wasn't supposed to before the test. My chaperone even had to come to the shower with me. After the testing I was feeling pretty faint and queasy because I hadn't eaten anything and had missed the post-match socialization/food while being in the anti-doping tent. Luckily, Baja had a half of a protein bar, which probably saved the lives of those sitting directly around me in the van.
When we got back to the hotel we went directly to dinner where I had to force food into my body because I'd gotten to that hunger point where I was feeling nauseous. After dinner many folks went down to socialize with the throngs of friends and family who had made the journey up, while others of us had to go see Doc for treatment. I was in the latter crew and by the time I got out of there it was past 10 and I just wanted to go to sleep. I was feeling both the effects of my earlier lack of food, as well as the general malaise of losing in a game that could have been won.
This morning I felt better about things after having a chance to sleep and recover. We had a good breakfast and then went to a pool recovery session lead by Tracy. It involved a lot of splashing and twisting, but overall I feel much better for it. The climax of the recovery came in the form of a race between Phaidra and I... there was no contest :)
After the pool we had a team meeting to debrief the game as we hadn't yet had an opportunity for that. We talked about where we had met our goals, where we hadn't met them, what we needed to improve on going forward. We're going to watch the game later this afternoon, and I think until we actually see it many of us don't really know how to assess the match.
Now some people are heading our with family and friends to hang out, while others are heading to the West Edmonton Mall (apparently the biggest mall in the world). I'm going to meet one of my college friends/teammates, Michelle, to catch up and I'll finish this up once I get back.
So apparently my day went on and on and now it's 11:30pm and I'm trying to wind down the day. It was really good to get a chance to see my friend Michelle, who I haven't gotten a chance to hang out with since summer of 2003. We went down to downtown Edmonton and walked around. When I got back it was 4:15 and was just in time for our team meeting to watch the video of yesterday's game. It was good to watch because I was able to see that I had more positive moments than I remembered. We are always our worst critics.
From the video session we went directly into dinner and then into another video session. This time it was to watch a game tape of Ireland vs the US from our UK tour in January so that we could get an idea of their weaknesses and strength and just general patterns of play. After that it was chill time until my treatment time with Doc at 10:00pm... now after a little late night prop-talk (Annie, Farrah, Carrie, and I) it's time for bed. I'm excited because both my parents are arriving tomorrow. My dad's only staying through the Ireland match (selections get announced tomorrow morning) and my mom's staying until the bitter end (the 18th).
Phaidra hits a tackle
Laura takes on their flanker
After the game I got informed that I had been randomly selected for drug-testing, so I got to spend the next hour or so being supervised to insure that I wasn't taking anything I wasn't supposed to before the test. My chaperone even had to come to the shower with me. After the testing I was feeling pretty faint and queasy because I hadn't eaten anything and had missed the post-match socialization/food while being in the anti-doping tent. Luckily, Baja had a half of a protein bar, which probably saved the lives of those sitting directly around me in the van.
When we got back to the hotel we went directly to dinner where I had to force food into my body because I'd gotten to that hunger point where I was feeling nauseous. After dinner many folks went down to socialize with the throngs of friends and family who had made the journey up, while others of us had to go see Doc for treatment. I was in the latter crew and by the time I got out of there it was past 10 and I just wanted to go to sleep. I was feeling both the effects of my earlier lack of food, as well as the general malaise of losing in a game that could have been won.
This morning I felt better about things after having a chance to sleep and recover. We had a good breakfast and then went to a pool recovery session lead by Tracy. It involved a lot of splashing and twisting, but overall I feel much better for it. The climax of the recovery came in the form of a race between Phaidra and I... there was no contest :)
After the pool we had a team meeting to debrief the game as we hadn't yet had an opportunity for that. We talked about where we had met our goals, where we hadn't met them, what we needed to improve on going forward. We're going to watch the game later this afternoon, and I think until we actually see it many of us don't really know how to assess the match.
Now some people are heading our with family and friends to hang out, while others are heading to the West Edmonton Mall (apparently the biggest mall in the world). I'm going to meet one of my college friends/teammates, Michelle, to catch up and I'll finish this up once I get back.
So apparently my day went on and on and now it's 11:30pm and I'm trying to wind down the day. It was really good to get a chance to see my friend Michelle, who I haven't gotten a chance to hang out with since summer of 2003. We went down to downtown Edmonton and walked around. When I got back it was 4:15 and was just in time for our team meeting to watch the video of yesterday's game. It was good to watch because I was able to see that I had more positive moments than I remembered. We are always our worst critics.
From the video session we went directly into dinner and then into another video session. This time it was to watch a game tape of Ireland vs the US from our UK tour in January so that we could get an idea of their weaknesses and strength and just general patterns of play. After that it was chill time until my treatment time with Doc at 10:00pm... now after a little late night prop-talk (Annie, Farrah, Carrie, and I) it's time for bed. I'm excited because both my parents are arriving tomorrow. My dad's only staying through the Ireland match (selections get announced tomorrow morning) and my mom's staying until the bitter end (the 18th).
Thursday, August 31, 2006
World Cup 6: Game Day
So we have less than 2 hours till we leave for the pitch. Now I've got to keep myself from getting too worked up into a frenzy between now and then. It's been hard because we've been doing a lot of mental focus type stuff and psyche up type stuff... not to mention the fact that in our team room we've created what we call our "Corner of Power". That's where we put up stuff to inspire us as we go forward into world cup. For example, in yesterday's newspaper a columnist wrote "Spare me the hot air about England, France, Canada, and the US have a chance to win it all". Nothing gets my blood boiling more than being overlooked and underestimated. Must go eat lunch to ease some nerves.
Well the countdown is on. 30 minutes until we leave for the pitch. A bunch of us just watched the NZ-Canada match live on the internet and now everyone is ready to roll. I'm going to update what's been going on over the past two days so as to not drive myself batty waiting.
Yesterday we had another easy day. We ate breakfast and then the non-rostered folks went down to the gym for a workout while the rest of us did some recovery work in the pool. That recovery work quickly turned comptitive as we played 500 with the South African team that was down there as well. It was good fun.
After that I came back upstairs and did some reading before lunch and then Carrie and I got into a rousing game of cribbage. Then there was waiting time, which involved some CSI and Fame, before we went to the field for our captains run. The practice was fairly short but intense as we ran through the last little things that we wanted to get ironed out. When we got back dinner was on, so we ate before showering for the jersey presentation.
As usual the jersey presentation was emotional. It was particularly poignant to see Patty get her jersey which for her is a 5th. Another thing that made this presentation different from some in the past is that it was open to all the family and friends that had come to watch the games. So there was a lot of support surrounding us throughout the process. I got a little shock when I looked at the tag of my jersey and saw that it was a small, but I guess that means no jersey tackles.
Front-Row Lovin'
Captains and Coaches
After the jersey presentation a bunch of us spent some time with Doc trying to work out all that last stuff before the match.
This morning was breakfast followed by a team meeting during which we watched "Do you believe in Miracles" which is the documentary about the 1980 olympic hockey team. It left quite a few of us teary eyed and ready for kick-off to happen. After that the waiting began, which I have been trying to fill with things that won't cause me to get too anxious (like ironing my dress shirt), but even as I'm typing this I can feel the adrenaline starting to get going. Need to stay composed and relatively calm for another 3 hours when finally it gets to be unleashed all over England. Time to sign-off and really get focused and make sure I've got everything ready to go and take it to em. Hopefully when I write next it'll be as victors.
Well the countdown is on. 30 minutes until we leave for the pitch. A bunch of us just watched the NZ-Canada match live on the internet and now everyone is ready to roll. I'm going to update what's been going on over the past two days so as to not drive myself batty waiting.
Yesterday we had another easy day. We ate breakfast and then the non-rostered folks went down to the gym for a workout while the rest of us did some recovery work in the pool. That recovery work quickly turned comptitive as we played 500 with the South African team that was down there as well. It was good fun.
After that I came back upstairs and did some reading before lunch and then Carrie and I got into a rousing game of cribbage. Then there was waiting time, which involved some CSI and Fame, before we went to the field for our captains run. The practice was fairly short but intense as we ran through the last little things that we wanted to get ironed out. When we got back dinner was on, so we ate before showering for the jersey presentation.
As usual the jersey presentation was emotional. It was particularly poignant to see Patty get her jersey which for her is a 5th. Another thing that made this presentation different from some in the past is that it was open to all the family and friends that had come to watch the games. So there was a lot of support surrounding us throughout the process. I got a little shock when I looked at the tag of my jersey and saw that it was a small, but I guess that means no jersey tackles.
Front-Row Lovin'
Captains and Coaches
After the jersey presentation a bunch of us spent some time with Doc trying to work out all that last stuff before the match.
This morning was breakfast followed by a team meeting during which we watched "Do you believe in Miracles" which is the documentary about the 1980 olympic hockey team. It left quite a few of us teary eyed and ready for kick-off to happen. After that the waiting began, which I have been trying to fill with things that won't cause me to get too anxious (like ironing my dress shirt), but even as I'm typing this I can feel the adrenaline starting to get going. Need to stay composed and relatively calm for another 3 hours when finally it gets to be unleashed all over England. Time to sign-off and really get focused and make sure I've got everything ready to go and take it to em. Hopefully when I write next it'll be as victors.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
World Cup 5: Finally to Edmonton
So yesterday was a very lazy day but had some very entertaining portions that popped up every so often. After I updated this blog yesterday I proceeded to do some packing and then I wound up getting sucked into the movie "Love Potion No. 9" with Laura and wound up watching that. After the movie I went down to the pool/hot-tub and did some stretching and recovery type stuff. A bunch of other people went to the MOA and watched 'Talladega Nights', which they said was very funny. After I went to the pool I wandered over to the MOA to get lunch and then went on the 'Screamin' Eagle' ride and the 'Timberland Twister' roller-coaster using the free-ride coupons we got from Jane T yesterday.
I came back to the hotel and finished packing before we went to Major's for a send-off dinner. They had the wireless trivia game that kept Dude andI involved even so much that we bypassed the first round of food. You know we're enthralled when two props will skip food. In the end Dude wound up winning one round and I was ahead by 1500 points when we had to leave. On the way home we swung by DQ for a little late-night snack.
When we got back to the hotel many people worked on laundry and finished packing, but those of us in the front row had bigger issues to deal with.
The lifting sleeves arrived for the jumpers, but it turned out that they are a bit tight for them to wear. Therefore us front-rowers decided to help them out by putting them on and wearing them around to stretch them out. It took a little wrestling to get them on, but in the end we managed to get them to the right size.
This morning was the three-ring circus of trying to get to the airport and getting everything together and everyone on flights. We had somewhere in the range of 17 extra bags that had to be checked in addition to the many bags that were in excess of the 50lb limit that had to be rearranged.
But in the end we arrived in Edmonton where our liason Susan picked us up and got us out to the hotel. When we got there we had a lunch, that to the happiness of Ashley had of a great dessert spread, and then went out to the Druid rugby pitch for a training session. After training we came back to the hotel and had dinner before being released to the care of the Docs who worked magic on me. After getting worked on I got to have some QT with Jen and then came back here to do my update.
We have less than 48 hours left till we play England and I am starting to really feel it. It was hard to really believe that we're at World Cup when we were in MN, but once we got here and met the liasons and saw the French and South African teams (all teams from the same pool are at the same hotel) wandering around it really started to sink in. I'm at World Cup! I'm part of something that I have been striving for for years. It's finally here... Now it's time for bed before I get myself too worked up.
I came back to the hotel and finished packing before we went to Major's for a send-off dinner. They had the wireless trivia game that kept Dude andI involved even so much that we bypassed the first round of food. You know we're enthralled when two props will skip food. In the end Dude wound up winning one round and I was ahead by 1500 points when we had to leave. On the way home we swung by DQ for a little late-night snack.
When we got back to the hotel many people worked on laundry and finished packing, but those of us in the front row had bigger issues to deal with.
The lifting sleeves arrived for the jumpers, but it turned out that they are a bit tight for them to wear. Therefore us front-rowers decided to help them out by putting them on and wearing them around to stretch them out. It took a little wrestling to get them on, but in the end we managed to get them to the right size.This morning was the three-ring circus of trying to get to the airport and getting everything together and everyone on flights. We had somewhere in the range of 17 extra bags that had to be checked in addition to the many bags that were in excess of the 50lb limit that had to be rearranged.
But in the end we arrived in Edmonton where our liason Susan picked us up and got us out to the hotel. When we got there we had a lunch, that to the happiness of Ashley had of a great dessert spread, and then went out to the Druid rugby pitch for a training session. After training we came back to the hotel and had dinner before being released to the care of the Docs who worked magic on me. After getting worked on I got to have some QT with Jen and then came back here to do my update.We have less than 48 hours left till we play England and I am starting to really feel it. It was hard to really believe that we're at World Cup when we were in MN, but once we got here and met the liasons and saw the French and South African teams (all teams from the same pool are at the same hotel) wandering around it really started to sink in. I'm at World Cup! I'm part of something that I have been striving for for years. It's finally here... Now it's time for bed before I get myself too worked up.
Monday, August 28, 2006
World Cup 4: A day off
So, I was going to write this last night, but then I realized that we had all day off today and what better way to "stay off my feet" (as Kathy told us to do) than to catch this up and then do some reading.
Yesterday was a fun day. We got up and had a little short practice to work on some subunit stuff, which entailed for us forwards a bunch of lineout work. After that we got a chance to eat a light snack before doing some controlled scrimmaging against a Minnesota select side. For the first hour we forwards worked lineouts and scrums against them before coming together for the last hour and actually playing through. It was a bit of a surprise on the first play of the scrimmage when we looked up and realized that their backline had 7 more people than normal. After getting over that initial shock we pulled together and still were able to put together some beautiful offense and high pressure defense despite being seriously outnumbered.
Phaidra and Tonka warm-up with Dancing
One thing I want to write about is this fascinating tackling drill we've been doing that has been very enlightening for me. So we've been doing one-on-one tackling in a small space, with a catch. The defender has to hold a tennis ball in each hand while making the tackle. It really shows how much we rely on our hands when tackling and forces you to use your legs, shoulders, and full arms if you really want to take the ball-carrier to the ground. It was really hard at first, but now it's awesome to feel how much power we can generate when we don't rely on our hands to do the tackling.
Team Pic after the scrimmage
After the scrimmage we had the entertaining task of getting the scrum sled back onto the trailer and onto Jane's car, Stubby. This resulted in a near-death experience (I may be being a bit dramatic) when the weight of the sled caused the trailer to come off the hitch and come flying up towards my face. A little remaneuvering and we were able to get everything set, though I do think that Stubby's rear end was not actually touching the ground.
We went to Jane's house for a BBQ where we lazed about and ate lots of food. We even got cake because it was Ashley's 30th birthday so we celebrated her entering her dotage. One of the more interesting parts of that was watching Mari work her art major magic on a watermelon to create a masterpiece.
After the BBQ we came back to the hotel to shower and then head to the Mall of America (MOA for those in the know) to watch the movie 'Invincible'.
We laughed, we cried, we applauded. Definitely a good team movie and pump up film. I mean come on it's all about The Eagles. How much more appropriate can it get!?!
After the movie we came back and had a brief team meeting to announce selections for the England match. I was named as Loosehead, which is just awesome. It's so funny to me sometimes to think that for so many years in college and playing at the U-23 level that this was my dream, and now it's but days away. I remember so vividly during the Chula Vista camp in 2004 having my one-on-one meeting with Kathy and her asking me what my goals were for playing rugby and telling her that I wanted to play in the 2006 World Cup and that's what I was working towards. Now it's here... And we only have one training session left until we get to show the world what we're about. The full selections for the match are 1. Jamie Burke 2. Mari Wallace 3. Meredith Ottens 4. Erin Carter 5. Jen Crouse 6. Phaidra Knight 7. Ham 8. Tina Nesberg 9. Claudia Braymer 10. Heather Hale 11. Ellie Karvoski 12. Pam Kosanke 13. Keenya Warner 14. Laura Cabrera 15. Ashley English 16. Danielle Miller 17. Annie Collier 18. Kate Pope 19. Kelly McMahon 20. Lee Knight 21. Kristin Baja 22. Patty Jervey
Today is a lazy day. We have the entire day off. Our only instructions were to take care of ourselves and not be on our feet all day. It's actually worked out perfectly because it's a grey day and drizzly, so my plans of staying here reading, drinking water, perhaps doing a pool recovery should be the perfect pace. Then tomorrow it's off to Edmonton.
Yesterday was a fun day. We got up and had a little short practice to work on some subunit stuff, which entailed for us forwards a bunch of lineout work. After that we got a chance to eat a light snack before doing some controlled scrimmaging against a Minnesota select side. For the first hour we forwards worked lineouts and scrums against them before coming together for the last hour and actually playing through. It was a bit of a surprise on the first play of the scrimmage when we looked up and realized that their backline had 7 more people than normal. After getting over that initial shock we pulled together and still were able to put together some beautiful offense and high pressure defense despite being seriously outnumbered.
Phaidra and Tonka warm-up with Dancing
One thing I want to write about is this fascinating tackling drill we've been doing that has been very enlightening for me. So we've been doing one-on-one tackling in a small space, with a catch. The defender has to hold a tennis ball in each hand while making the tackle. It really shows how much we rely on our hands when tackling and forces you to use your legs, shoulders, and full arms if you really want to take the ball-carrier to the ground. It was really hard at first, but now it's awesome to feel how much power we can generate when we don't rely on our hands to do the tackling.
Team Pic after the scrimmage
After the scrimmage we had the entertaining task of getting the scrum sled back onto the trailer and onto Jane's car, Stubby. This resulted in a near-death experience (I may be being a bit dramatic) when the weight of the sled caused the trailer to come off the hitch and come flying up towards my face. A little remaneuvering and we were able to get everything set, though I do think that Stubby's rear end was not actually touching the ground.
We went to Jane's house for a BBQ where we lazed about and ate lots of food. We even got cake because it was Ashley's 30th birthday so we celebrated her entering her dotage. One of the more interesting parts of that was watching Mari work her art major magic on a watermelon to create a masterpiece.
After the BBQ we came back to the hotel to shower and then head to the Mall of America (MOA for those in the know) to watch the movie 'Invincible'.
We laughed, we cried, we applauded. Definitely a good team movie and pump up film. I mean come on it's all about The Eagles. How much more appropriate can it get!?!After the movie we came back and had a brief team meeting to announce selections for the England match. I was named as Loosehead, which is just awesome. It's so funny to me sometimes to think that for so many years in college and playing at the U-23 level that this was my dream, and now it's but days away. I remember so vividly during the Chula Vista camp in 2004 having my one-on-one meeting with Kathy and her asking me what my goals were for playing rugby and telling her that I wanted to play in the 2006 World Cup and that's what I was working towards. Now it's here... And we only have one training session left until we get to show the world what we're about. The full selections for the match are 1. Jamie Burke 2. Mari Wallace 3. Meredith Ottens 4. Erin Carter 5. Jen Crouse 6. Phaidra Knight 7. Ham 8. Tina Nesberg 9. Claudia Braymer 10. Heather Hale 11. Ellie Karvoski 12. Pam Kosanke 13. Keenya Warner 14. Laura Cabrera 15. Ashley English 16. Danielle Miller 17. Annie Collier 18. Kate Pope 19. Kelly McMahon 20. Lee Knight 21. Kristin Baja 22. Patty Jervey
Today is a lazy day. We have the entire day off. Our only instructions were to take care of ourselves and not be on our feet all day. It's actually worked out perfectly because it's a grey day and drizzly, so my plans of staying here reading, drinking water, perhaps doing a pool recovery should be the perfect pace. Then tomorrow it's off to Edmonton.
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